Page 87 - AIT1020_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design dunkelschwarz, AT-Salzburg
Grundriss Erdgeschoss • Ground floor plan
Längsschnitt • Longitudinal section
Querschnitt • Transversal section
Bauherr • Client PCT Austria, AT-Thalgau
Standort • Location Plainfelderstr. 21, AT-Thalgau
Nutzfläche • Floor space 482 m 2
Fotos • Photos Simon Oberhofer, AT-Graz
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More info on page 134
PCT OFFICE ROOMS
IN THALGAU
Industrial estates are not necessarily among the most
popular locations — and yet they offer just the right in-
frastructure for many a building project and, as in the
case of an office lofts in Thalgau, Austria, also the per-
fect shell. This makes the architects' sophisticated de-
sign not only a climate-friendly solution but also stands
for a conscious approach to construction costs.
T he construction task was clearly defined: PCT Austria, a company
producing special hardeners for screeds, wanted to bring together
its office and warehouse facilities, which until then had been about ten
kilometres apart, at one location. In the middle of an industrial area
in the Upper Austrian market town of Thalgau, a company-owned wa-
rehouse, which had been lying fallow until the conversion, was defined
as the new visible company location. Thus, the Salzburg-based archi-
tectural firm dunkelschwarz used this existing building as a clearly
structured and unpretentious shell for a new building and created 14
workplaces and a direct connection to the warehouse areas. Climate-
friendly construction was the objective, which required the careful use
of materials. The 28-centimetre thick spruce boards used for the inter-
nal wood structure was not solely selected for its material properties,
but it also emphasises the intended loft character thanks to the con-
struction left visible. Even from the outside, the box, which is built as
a monolithic wooden structure, can be seen thanks to enlarged gates
and façade openings. A generous bridge, designed as a pergola, defi-
nes the entrance area and leads both customers and staff centrally into
the ensemble of buildings, from where the storerooms can be seen just
as clearly as the inserted two-storey cube. On the ground floor there is
an impressive concrete reception counter and the staff offices, while
the upper floor accommodates the offices of the managing director and
a gallery-like meeting room, which in turn provides a view of the re-
ception area below. A screed floor — selected to match the client's pro-
ducts — forms the basis for the furniture made of fair-faced concrete
and birch plywood. Such minimalist planning and design were only
possible by using the existing building: the office loft is protected from
the weather by the shell and therefore does not require its own insu-
lation. At the same time, this design also keeps the costs of construc-
tion and ongoing operation low, thus vividly demonstrating how sophi-
sticated concepts make central construction tasks solvable in terms of
sustainability and climate protection — even in an industrial estate!
AIT 10.2020 • 087